YouTuber apologises for prank that involves flattening coins on train tracks in Thailand

YouTube prankster Nate Bartling, better known on Facebook as My Mate Nate, on Monday apologised to State Railway of Thailand's (SRT) deputy governor over his video clip in which he placed several coins on a railway track to test their strength.

He said after meeting with Thanongsak Pongprasert that he would use this incident as a lesson and was ready to take responsibility for what he had done.

Meanwhile, Colonel Alongkorn Sirisongkram of Prawes district police station, said that Bartling would be summoned to meet police on Wednesday as he was alleged to have broken railway rules in connection with his latest video clip.

The summons followed a complaint by State Railway station officials that he broke the Railway Act by entering SRT lands without permission and damaging the railway's property.

Bartling and a friend were seen in a video clip posted on the internet placing several coins on a railway track and waiting for a train to run over them. He said in the clip that he wanted to test the strength of the coins to know which country's coins were the strongest.

His video drew negative criticism, with many writing that he should find something useful to do.

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Charged for railway obstruction

Bartling has since visited the headquarters of the SRT where he held a press conference together with the police and railway officials to formally apologise for his actions and the negative effects his videos may have caused.

It was also revealed that Bartling has officially been charged with trespassing on railway tracks, and damaging railway property.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/pattayaone1/videos/10155554612553809/[/embed]

"What's important is he needs to take responsibility for his behaviour and make amends to Thai society" said Mr Pongprasert at the press conference.

"He has done wrong, but he has shown that he will repay society by doing good later, like by using YouTube in the right way."

Bartling, at the press conference, also revealed his disappointment with the way he has been treated. 

"I feel sad because in the past three years I have made 450 clips with content promoting Thai tourism to foreigners or videos about science, and only did wrong in a couple of clips, I don’t understand Thai society and why I get criticised so much."

Potential charges against Bartling for his videos which appear to promote animal cruelty are also under pending investigations.

nicchew@sph.com.sg